India Cultural Society Volunteers at CRCC Community Kitchen!

We would like to thank the India Cultural Society of Lansing for volunteering to serve a special meal to Cristo Rey Community Center’s neighbors-in-need!

Cristo Rey Community Center’s Community Kitchen usually serves warm, nutritious breakfasts followed by a sack lunch…but on this day lunch was a yummy lasagna with salad and cookies! Our community members loved it! After serving this filling and delicious meal a representative of the India Cultural Society took a moment to talk about food in communities, how eating together binds us together, helps us grow together, and how serving others is a joy that the India Cultural Society appreciated experiencing with our neighbors.

Cristo Rey Community Center (CRCC) Community Kitchen Cristo Rey Community Center’s (CRCC) was initiated in June 2014 to provide access to fresh food (warm breakfast and sack lunch) every Monday through Friday for food insecure and vulnerable populations. This year the Community Kitchen is projected to serve over 22,000 meals to hungry families in need!

Cristo Rey Community Center (CRCC) Community Kitchen provides services to ALL low-income families and individuals in need including populations vulnerable to food insecurity although employed (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed aka ALICE). ALICE households are defined as earning less than the basic cost of living for the U.S. but more than the U.S. threshold for poverty which leaves these households vulnerable to the slightest change in asset. This is a population that is working but struggling to maintain basic necessities for themselves and their families and must often forgo preventative health care or food due to financial hardship.

In contrast to the 16.2% of households that suffer from poverty in the State of Michigan (2009 data), in Ingham County over 23% of area households are below the poverty threshold with an additional 22% qualifying as struggling ALICE households.

CRCC Community Kitchen serves all clients who approach our programs in need regardless of income to ensure access of essential services to households classified as living in poverty or ALICE populations suffering financial hardship.

Thank you again to the India Cultural Society of Lansing for volunteering with us, and a big thank you to Joe Wald and the Greater Lansing Food Bank for your continued partnership in our mutual fight against hunger!